HARRISBURG — Pennsylvania House Republicans have filed a lawsuit to block three legislative special elections from taking place in February, potentially delaying a clear-cut majority for Democrats and allowing the GOP to maintain some measure of power into spring.

The suit, filed Friday night in Commonwealth Court by House Republican Leader Bryan Cutler (R., Lancaster), argues that House Democratic Leader Joanna McClinton (D., Philadelphia) did not have the authority to schedule the elections Wednesday after she had herself sworn in early in an unpublicized ceremony.

An accompanying request for an injunction asks for the court to “prevent a possibly unlawful special election from being held, which would cause irreparable harm in several ways, including usurping [Cutler’s] authority as Leader of the Republican Caucus of the House of Representatives and possibly Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.”

If he is majority leader, he, not McClinton, would have the authority to schedule the elections, according to the injunction — at least before Jan. 3, when the House elects its next leader.

If the courts side with Cutler, it would delay filling three empty, Democratic-leaning seats until at least March, with the May primary being the latest an election could be scheduled.